The slender nature of the score will give broad satisfaction. Even if England were pegged back to 1-1 for a while in this World Cup qualifier, the mental stamina lacking since Euro 2004 was recovered in Chorzow and the winner, with a moderate Poland hustled into an own-goal, was deserved.

The display from Sven-Goran Eriksson's team may not have been gripping but exuberance and seamless football were never expected after the decline to a 2-2 draw with Austria at the weekend. In any case Jermain Defoe, making his first start for England as he was introduced to a competitive fixture, did enough by himself to make spirits rise.

Ever eager to dart at a defender, his nimbleness and manoeuvrability were rewarded with the first goal, which also opened his account for his country. If Eriksson had continued to be as conservative as we feared, the 21-year-old would have been made to bide his time.

Picking Defoe was actually a piece of lateral thinking. There had been a suspicion that he had too great a stylistic resemblance to his fellow scurrier Michael Owen for a partnership to be attempted but the manager had looked at the matter from a different perspective.

Without Alan Smith as a target man, the team has to pass more carefully. Eriksson was less concerned with the link-up between the two forwards here than with the possibility of them being released by team-mates. The scheme started to work after 21 minutes. Wayne Bridge fed the overlapping Ashley Cole and, when he found Defoe, the striker fired a presentable opportunity wide.

No attacker can prosper, however, if he is readily discouraged and Defoe's confidence did not go into hiding. In the 35th minute a David Beckham free-kick on the left eventually came back to the captain and, when he then picked out the forward, Defoe controlled the ball and deceived a marker by spinning behind him to shoot home implacably.

After that England were never wholly subdued and can now claim a satisfactory start to Group Six. The price was paid primarily by David James, who was notified yesterday that he was to be dropped after his howler against Austria. Eriksson had stated initially that he could not imagine the Manchester City goalkeeper's absence from this fixture.

The manager must have been working on his mental faculties in the interim because it turned out that he was perfectly capable of visualising someone else between the posts. Considering that James is now 34, Paul Robinson could make the adjustment permanent.

The manager might be accused of betrayal but everyone is allowed a change of heart and, in any case, a hint of skulduggery at least sees off the allegation that he is monotonously loyal. Robinson, like his club-mate Defoe, had never before had an outing in a competitive match for his country.

There were three Spurs men in the starting line-up, a greater representation than Manchester United or Chelsea enjoyed. Considering Eriksson's penchant for picking Champions League types, can he really foresee thrilling times ahead at White Hart Lane?

Modest contentment came from various sources in the first half here and there was no immediate disruption even when the forceful Gary Neville collected a knee injury and had to be replaced by Jamie Carragher. One of the sanctions for recent disappointments is that England can be met with a trace of cynicism when their initial work is impressive.

Pessimists will just imagine that it presages decline. Poland, all the same, never showed vigorous optimism. They had emerged from a morass of troubles to win 3-0 in Northern Ireland but soon had confirmation that this was a contest of a higher order. They did not match up to it particularly well.

In the third minute, for example, a mere throw-in gave Owen a hint of an opening and Arkadiusz Glowacki had to bash the ball behind for a corner. Beckham, hampered a little by his rib injury, then broke into the middle after 24 minutes and volleyed wide a Bridge delivery.

England's concerns were relatively few. When a cross from the left was not dispatched to safety in the 25th minute, John Terry had to block a Maciej Zurawski shot in the goalmouth. England were more alarmed three minutes before the interval when Jacek Krzynowek stroked the ideal-cut-back but the much vaunted Sebastian Mila completely miskicked.

Any watcher of the current England will never pour scorn on the opposition until the full-time whistle goes. Despite all the soul-searching and video-watching, Kamil Kosowski was able to split the central defence open after 47 minutes with a pass that Zurawski converted.

Trouble ensued between the two sets of supporters. Riot police moved in but English minds were soothed by the quality still evident in their team. Cole got behind the Polish defence on the left after 58 minutes and placed the sort of low cross towards the near post that is beloved of forwards. Owen lunged and, even though he did not notch the goal, the desperate situation saw Glowacki knock the ball into his own net.

Although Jerzy Dudek saved a Bridge drive, England still had their opportunity to prove they can close out a contest. This time they gripped it tightly.